THIS IS MY STRONG HOLD. THIS IS WHERE I DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND. IT IS HERE AND NOW THAT I MAKE MY STAND.
Big Mawmaw's Home Place

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Where does the time go ??

It seems like years since I have been able to just sit down and blog a little...it has been quite some time I guess. Just so much work to do and then that living thing takes up a lot of time too. Between the farm and the kids the hours fly by, daylight then moonlight, all in the matter of a few minutes it seems. I am so sorry to have let all of my dear friends and faithful readers down these last several months. I feel as if I have let myself down too. I started this blog so I could have a place to bring my thoughts, hopes, dreams and experiences to share with others, good or bad as they may be.

I must report that there have been many failures in these past months here on the farm, garden is as bad as bad can be I think. Just too much rain. Maters and Cukes are doing good, what corn that did manage to grow some was consumed by the goats the other day. When had to go out of town for a few days and when we pulled back in at the house the goats where making their way thru the garden eating the corn as they went. LOL !! Might as well laugh it off, nothing else is going to help it anyway. LOL !! Tater bugs got the best of me yet again this year, trying to have an organic garden is pure hell sometimes. I use NO sprays of any kind and it's hard to fight off all the enemies of a garden without them. But, we get by I guess, at least we know what little we do get is not full of poison, thank God.

Well, got to get back on the run, life calls and I must answer. I hope to be able to get around to reading all of your blogs over the next few days, I miss that more than anything else. Ya'll take care now, ya hear.

I'm not sure anyone has had a good garden this year. We haven't had rain for a month so everything here is suffering. I've given up on many things in the garden. And I'm totally familiar with the goats eating things. They ate all my raspberry plants and blueberry plants. I'll be buying new plants this fall or next spring.

We don't use any sprays on our garden either. Some things get eaten. The potato bugs can be bad, but the best way to deal with them is to hand pick them and smash the little buggers. I pay my children for the adult beetles and the larva to encourage them to pick them off. After a couple of weeks of picking them every two or three days, you get ahead of them and don't have much more problem. The rewards from gardening are worth the 'failures' though. Hang in there.

Good to hear from you, Chris! I was beginning to wonder if you were okay out there! Sorry for the problems in the garden. I hope you'll still have a good harvest with what you have left! I hope we hear from you again soon!

Thanks for stopping by my place! I looked up the book Zorro's Field, and I am not able to find it. I googled it, and looked on Amazon. If you know of a place I could get a copy, let me know. I'd love to take a look see.

Sorry to hear about your garden--glad some of it is doing well, anyway. You're right about nothing to do about the goats eating the corn, but I hope they're making up for it by giving gallons upon gallons of milk....

I understand that a bug problem is really a mineral deficiency problem. I would suggest that your taters are likely copper deficient and probably sulfur and dolomite deficient also. Potatoes utilize a chunk of minerals, and that is why they are so very good for you. I read about a farmer that crushed his rocks to dust and the next year his potato crop was fabulous. Also, adding lots of mulch to the garden can help alleviate watering problems. Although copper and sulfur would be huge in preventing fungus and molds and such when there is too much rain.Sources: AcresUSA.comRuth Stout's No Work Garden BookPat Coleby's Natural Goat Caregoogle remineralize the earth

About Me

Just a guy that was born and raised in West Virginia and moved to Kentucky trying to raise a family on a small farm. We have goats, ducks, chickens, lots of dogs and raise a garden. Trying to live life simple and as peacful as possible. It's not as easy as it sounds.